Probiotics might limit infant skin problems

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who take a supplement of probiotics - those "good" bacteria that live in our guts - are less likely to develop eczema, according to a new review of studies.

"I'm hoping researchers will continue to study these supplements to see if their findings can contribute to new therapeutic options for infants predisposed" to eczema, said Negar Foolad, the lead author of the study and a graduate student at the University of California, Davis.

Infant eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a common, non-contagious skin disorder that causes intense itching.

According to Foolad's study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, one in five kids experiences eczema.

Dr. Sonia Michail, an associate professor at the University of Southern California and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, said the cause of the skin problem is unknown, but that some theories have implicated allergies or intolerance to certain foods.

To gauge what the research has found in attempting to prevent or reduce the symptoms of eczema through nutritional supplements, Foolad and her colleagues - one of whom is a consultant to companies that market such supplements - collected the results of 21 studies, including 11,000 participants.

Some of the people in the studies were infants and others were pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.

Ten of the studies experimented with giving probiotics to some of the participants and a fake supplement to other participants.

Probiotics are microbes, primarily bacteria, that live in the intestine and aid digestion. They are present in some foods, including yogurt.

A few studies in which children at risk for developing eczema were given the bacteria Lactobacillus rhapsodic GG or Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain HN001 found that the kids' chances of developing the skin condition were cut in half compared to kids given the placebo supplement.

Excerpt from:
Probiotics might limit infant skin problems